This is what the import window looked like in Flash CS3:
And then after hitting Continue the user is presented with this:
I would then select the bottom option, "Linked QuickTime video for publishing to QuickTime". I needed to select Flash Player 5 in the Publish Settings for this to work, but that didn't matter to me since my final export wouldn't be a SWF, but instead a jpg or png sequence to make a QuickTime.
Now in CS4, instead of that screen, when the user goes to Import to Library, they are presented with these options:
I didn't want to import an FLV, I wanted to import and link a Quicktime for animating on top of for timing purposes. Then I would composite the animation on top of the Quicktime in AfterEffects (or other editing software). Since importing a Quicktime wasn't an option, I converted the Quicktime into an FLV file and selected the "Load external video with playback component", to which I quickly learned that's not what I wanted. I read "Embed FLV..." but thought that's also not what I wanted (why I didn't just try that in the first place I don't know), and I knew I didn't want to "Import as mobile device...".
I searched online and in the Flash help menu for an answer but couldn't find anything that addressed my specific issue in detail. So I called the Adobe helpline. After waiting a while and speaking with several people answering the same questions (what is your customer id, serial number, name, company, what is your issue, etc) about five times, I finally was on the phone with someone that could answer my question. Apparently the issue is that Flash CS4 no longer supports importing or linking QuickTimes. Nada. So there are two workarounds. 1: Go back to Flash CS3, import as you used to and you can then open that file in CS4 and it will work. Or the other option I will now be using, numero 2: Convert the QT into an FLV, import to library, and select Embed FLV in SWF and play in timeline. You are then given this window:
You may select Embedded Video or Graphic which which will stream in the timeline when you scrub. Movie Clips do not stream, but the flv video file will still be imported into your library which you can drag onto the timeline to scrub through.
This process is probably self-explanatory to many people, but for people like me that was used to importing and linking the QuickTime in previous versions I wanted to clear this up and note the change from CS3 to CS4 for anyone else that runs into this same issue. Hopefully you will find this blog post helpful!
Cheers!
9 comments:
egads!
pure 110% egads!
Thanks for leaving a comment on my blog. How are things at Animal going? Do you know of any animation gatherings in Pittsburgh? Anything like Pittsburgh Society of Illustrators but for animators? If not we need to start one. Pittsburgh has a nice gathering of animators just waiting for something big to pop off here.
Ha Ha I just seen your cat commercial while watching The Price is Right! Good Stuff!
Thanks for lookign into this. Like you I had a frustrating two hours the other day trying to get a QT file to load. Like you I had to work around via FLV. What a pain in the arse!
Worse CS3 let you import alpha channels along with the video but I've yet to get that working in FLV. Nightmare.
Dustin - there are some events going on around town. Watch BSH.
Sam - If you still have CS3, the guy at Adobe suggested that's what to use if you absolutely need to import a Quicktime. Otherwise, unfortunately, you're stuck with FLV's in CS4. I know it's a bummer! The guy also suggested trying to get enough people to petition that a future update of CS4 will include the linking/importing Quicktimes feature...I don't have the time to put into that, and I doubt it will do much good if it's just me and you, but nonetheless, I miss CS3 in that respect. Good luck with your workarounds!
hey thanks for the post, it was exactly what i had done. But what did you use to convert the mov into a flv??
thank you!
Rebecca - Open the Adobe Media Encoder (it installs when you install Flash) and just drag the Quicktime you need to convert into that window. You can change settings by clicking on it in the Queue List! Hope that helps.
i've been searching high and low online and even downloaded software to convert the file and this solution is so simple!! thank you so much!!
Thank you, very helful sir, god bless you hermano.
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